The London Heroes Checks
Fifteen checks. Ten before a Hero goes live. Five that never stop.
Anyone can list checks they ran once, at sign-up. The checks that protect you are the ones still running the day your Hero knocks on the door.
Before going live
Ten checks before the first job
- 1
Photo identity document
Original camera capture only — screenshots and photos-of-photos are rejected automatically by image forensics.
- 2
Selfie
A live selfie, quality-gated the same way.
- 3
Selfie holding the document
The step that defeats borrowed documents — the person and the document, together, in one original photo.
- 4
Automated document cross-check
Software reads the document and compares every detail against what was typed. It assists; it never decides.
- 5
Human review of every application
A person approves or rejects, with a written reason, inside our 3-hour review window.
- 6
Business verification (limited companies)
Companies House number, role and person-with-significant-control declaration.
- 7
Gas Safe registration (gas work)
Checked against the register, with appliance categories. No registration, no gas jobs — ever.
- 8
Electrical competence (electrical work)
Competent-person scheme membership (NICEIC, NAPIT or equivalent), scope recorded.
- 9
Public liability insurance
The certificate itself, with insurer, policy reference and cover amount verified — shown on the public Passport.
- 10
Signed Hero Agreement
A personalised contract under the law of England and Wales, electronically signed before the first job.
Forever after
Five checks that never stop
This is the part no directory offers — verification as a living system, not a sign-up form.
- 11
Daily credential expiry monitoring
Every credential is watched every day. A lapsed one shows as EXPIRED on the public Passport — never hidden — and pauses affected work automatically.
- 12
Payment held until you confirm
Money never reaches the Hero until you say the job is done. Not a £1,000 cap — the whole job price.
- 13
Verified-only reviews
Only the client of a real, completed, paid job can review it, once. No bought stars, no incentives.
- 14
Evidence-first disputes
Raise an issue before confirming and release freezes while a named person investigates the job's full timeline.
- 15
The live public record
All of the above is visible on each Hero's Passport — today's status, not a laminated card from years ago.
Straight answers
How is this different from a directory's vetting checks?
Directory checks run once, when a tradesperson signs up, and mostly verify paperwork exists. London Heroes runs 10 checks before a Hero goes live — including a selfie holding their identity document and a human decision on every application — and then 5 more that never stop: daily credential expiry monitoring, payment held until you confirm, verified-only reviews, evidence-first disputes, and a live public Passport showing today's status.
What happens if a Hero's insurance or Gas Safe registration lapses?
The platform checks expiry dates every day. A lapsed credential immediately shows as expired on the Hero's public Passport and pauses them for affected work until it is renewed and re-verified. It is never hidden.